ISTANBUL Turkish authorities have suspended 9,103 personnel from the police force, broadcaster CNN Turk reported on Wednesday, as part of an investigation of over alleged links with a U.S.-based cleric who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup last July.

In the aftermath of the abortive coup, authorities arrested 40,000 people and sacked or suspended 120,000 from a wide range of professions, including soldiers, police, teachers and public servants, over alleged links with terrorist groups.

Earlier on Wednesday, more than 1,000 people had been detained in a police purge in 72 provinces across the country. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, editing by Larry King)

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